Building Update

With our last two teams from Hespeler Baptist Church we have framed and supported, installed roofing bricks and rebar on the second floor of our new building. Since the last team left Eduardo and I have installed all of the plumbing and electrical rough-in and framed in what will be an outside access to the three apartments on the second floor. Today we brought in a crew of twelve guys and poured the concrete. Above you can see their cement mixer as well as bucket hoist that they used to get the cement up to the second storey.

This will be left to dry now for the next three weeks and then with our next team, from Forward Baptist Church, we will take down all the forms and supports and begin the columns for the second storey. As mentioned above this building will have three apartments upstairs and the main floor will be used for office space and a workshop.

Saying Goodbye to Dave and Connie

This week has been Dave and Connie Rhodes last week in Peru. After 8 years service here in Peru with Kids Alive, they have decided to return back to the U.S. where they can be closer to family. As you can imagine after 8 years there were lots of people who wanted to say their goodbyes and so it has been an extremely busy week. On Tuesday night we had a party at the children's home with all the house moms and kids, all the office staff and all the staff from the Oasis. On Wednesday Dave and Connie went out for lunch with their landlords and then at night we had a dinner with our Peru missionary family. On Thursday night we went out with the boys, where we enjoyed a big meal of chicken wings, ribs, and steak and then went and shot some pool afterwards. Yesterday was a busy time for the Rhodes with looking after some paperwork and things but they managed to come out to the Oasis, Dave for a quick picture with some of the guys and Connie for a goodbye presentation by all of the children. Dave and Connie have been here in Peru since before the concept of a care centre and have been very instrumental in its development. Connie with administrative duties and Dave with planning and overseeing almost all of the workteams that have built this amazing facility. Dave and Connie, many thanks from all of us, we will miss you guys a lot and will be praying for you and your family as the Lord leads you.

Thank you HBC Team 2

Today we are saying goodbye for now to our service team from Hespeler Baptist Church in Cambridge, Ontario. This year Hespeler sent down 19 people to work at our Manchay "Oasis" care centre. The teams accomplished so much at the centre as well as visited many of our families that we minister to in the community. Pictured above is one of the highlights of their trip. Since the care centre has officially been named the OASIS, which it truly is in a desert of poverty, we figured we had better get some green on the property. We now have a lush green front lawn and our name spelled out in brick pavers which you can see as soon as you enter the door. The teams completed numerous jobs which included advancing our new 2 storey building almost to the point of pouring the concrete floor. Thank you Hespeler Baptist Church for your continued love and support of our ministries here in Peru.

Our First Leaky Roof Project

Yesterday, along with the team from Hespeler Baptist Church, we helped our first family of our Leaky Roof Project. We met this family through a friend of ours and thought they were good candidates for our new program. Their house had a roof made of cardboard, and old tarp and some really old roofing materials.

Pictured above is the finished house with its leak free roof. Even though we get next to no rain here, there are still hazy and misty days when water can gather on a roof.

While there, we decided to build this stone staircase to help the family climb to the back of their property. The family, which consists of a single mother with two daughters, was very appreciative of our help. We hope that through community outreach programs such as this, we can reach more families for Christ.

Well Done

The digging and forming of our well in Pachacamac is finished. We are in the process of buying a pump and hooking up a generator to get the water to the surface. The well is not as deep as we anticipated, but the contractor digging it said there was too much water for him to continue which is a good sign. Although our Pachacamac home will more than likely be tied into the municipal water system, our well will serve as a source for our water for the many fruits and vegetables and other plants that we hope to be able to grow here.

Tyler's Wedding Anniversary

This is a little off topic for a construction blog although some things we just can't let slip by. Today is Tyler and Brenda's 11th wedding anniversary. This past week our family took some vacation time and went to Paracas in southern Peru. We had a great time and went on a boat tour out to some islands where we saw dolphins, sea lions, seals and penquins. We had a great time and were able to get some much needed rest.

HBC Peru Crew 1

This years HBC Peru Crew 1 went home last night. Our entire family long with Ashley Campbell, who is staying for 5 weeks, and Leo went to the airport to see them off. During their 7 days here they accomplished lots of work. They continued our paver brick walkway another 30 feet or so, they took out more Manchay rocks and put down 20cm of topsoil and sod, they completely framed in the ceiling of our new building, they bent a lot of rebar ties, they did some painting, and made friends with many of our children and moms. Yesterday the team got to visit downtown Lima and Miraflores, we went to the indian market, and they tried to go paragliding although the wind wasn't cooperating. Here is a photo of the team amongst more than 350 "pie derechos" or as they named it "The Manchay Forest" which they installed. Thank you team, and we look forward to seeing you back next year.